School-age covid cases continue to rise in Allegheny County

Covid-19 cases among school-age children — most of whom are not old enough to be vaccinated — continue to rise in Allegheny County, officials said Wednesday.

On Wednesday, 45 children age 18 and under were reported to have tested positive for the virus in the previous 24 hours. It included eight children aged 4 or under, 21 aged 5 to 12, and 16 aged 13 to 18.

On July 2, a total of five children 18 and under tested positive in the previous 48 hours: None under the age of 4, two who were age 5 to 12 and three age 13 to 18.

The concern goes beyond just the children. It stretches to those who they might pass the virus on to: vulnerable or immunocompromised family members or family members who are unvaccinated.

On Tuesday, the Plum School District said it had nearly 100 Oblock Junior High School students quarantined due to possible covid exposure.

Dr. Debra Bogen, Allegheny County’s health director, said in her weekly briefing that safety will be paramount as schools reopen and sports and other activities start back up. She praised the state secretary of Health for an order released Tuesday mandating masks for students, teachers and staff in all K-12 schools, early learning centers and day cares.

The order falls in line with recommendations from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has championed universal masking in schools since earlier this summer.

“Our case investigations demonstrate many cases reporting getting infected by a family or household member or from their workplace or from other social activities, but many are not able to identify a source of their infection,” Bogen said. “That is indicative of community spread.”

The CDC also recommends that people in areas seeing a high or substantial level of transmission wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Allegheny County falls into that category.

“Surgeons wear them to protect their patients during procedures, and they often have to keep them on for hours without any harm,” Bogen said.

She said those falling seriously ill and dying from the virus continue to be mostly the unvaccinated.

“It really is tragic to lose more people when we have the tool to prevent it,” she said.